Untersuchungen über das Vorkommen der lumbalen Parese bei Ziegen und über das Auftreten von Elaphostrongylus cervi beim Rothirsch im Kanton Tessin

The aim of the study was to examine the incidence of lumbar paralysis in goats and the possible role of Elaphostrongylus cervi as an agent. For this reason questionnaires concerning the clinical pictures and the incidence of lumbar paralysis were sent to 200 owners of goats and to 9 veterinarians. The study showed that the symptoms of lumbar paralysis had been observed for many years mainly during the winter. Most of the animals suffering from lumbar paralysis originated from the Valley of Leventina and Blenio. The symptoms of lumbar paralysis could be observed from 29 owners of goats. Fecal examination of 36 red deer in the autumn of 1995 was carried out for studying if deer plays a role in spreading the larvae of E. cervi. Twenty-five red deer passed the E. cervi larvae. This could be indicating that deer plays an possible role in the infection of goats with E. cervi

Untersuchungen zum Vorkommen von Elaphostrongylus sp. im Gehirn von Ziegen und Hirschen aus dem Kanton Tessin

The aim of the study was to examine the incidence of Elaphostrongylus cervi in the brain of sixty-five goats and fifty-nine red deer. The brains were also examined for neurohistological lesions. In the subdural space of the brain of five red deer a female nematode was recovered and identified as Elaphostrongylus sp. The histopathological examination of the brains revealed significantly more inflammatory, degenerative or combined lesions in goats than in red deer. Fourty-nine red deer and thirty-eight goats had no lesions in the brain. The lesions were minimal and consisted exclusively of nonpurulent infiltrations. No etiological agent could be found for the neurological changes. However Elaphostrongylus is able to produce similar lesions in specific as well as in nonspecific hosts and represents a likely cause for the histopathological findings